Intellectual Property and Commercialization

As a research or entrepreneurship partner of Sheridan, we can help you mitigate some of the risks and costs associated with innovation and growth. At Sheridan, external partners typically fully retain the IP when they partner with us for research or innovation, but this can often be a complex area to navigate once the project is completed. We are happy to support you along the way with information and support on IP protection options and helpful resources, including referrals for IP and commercialization guidance, and access to legal services to pursue the protection of your IP.

• Intellectual Property at Sheridan
• University of Toronto – IP Education Program
• Foundations of IP Strategy
• IP Education Session

View the Commercialization Policy

The Province of Ontario issued its Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework in early 2022. The objective of Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework is to harness the intellectual property generated with the institution’s resources to achieve Ontario’s goal of ensuring that made-in-Ontario innovations benefit Ontarians.

Sheridan is committed to supporting Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework within the context of the role Ontario colleges play in applied research and innovation.

Sheridan is uniquely positioned to collaborate with industry partners to advance innovation and facilitate commercialization of intellectual property in Ontario that creates economic and social benefits for our communities. In particular, applied research activities taking place at Ontario’s publicly funded colleges in partnership with small and medium-sized enterprises create innovative solutions to challenges being experienced in our communities in a variety of settings. These innovations will be a key driver for sustainable economic recovery, growth, and competitiveness in Ontario and will be critically important as we collectively emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to increase innovation at the community and regional level, Sheridan will continue to rely on funding from granting agencies, primarily federal agencies, as the operating funding provided to colleges does not reflect the overhead costs of exploring, developing and overseeing applied research projects.

Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Framework provides an opportunity to advance the role of the publicly funded college sector in research and innovation. Sheridan looks forward to continuing to support our partners in the commercialization of intellectual property to realize the full benefits for all Ontarians.

As part of the requirements from Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON), Sheridan has posted the following updates regarding our Annual Commercialization Plans.

Year 2: In 2023/2024 we applied for and were successfully awarded IPON funding to help Sheridan build critical capacity to provide supports and guidance on intellectual property and commercialization to industry partners. The new funding will enable support for our external partners with resources and expertise to advise on IP opportunities, as well as provide financial assistance with the costs associated with commercialization and IP protection. We are excited to help Sheridan’s applied research partners confidently take steps to bring their products and services to market.

Year 1: Our Year One Annual Commercialization Plan (ACP) reflects the unique research funding context for Ontario colleges. The operating funding provided to colleges by the province is designed to support the core education and training mandate of colleges and does not reflect the overhead costs of exploring, developing and overseeing research projects. Within this context, our ACP over the next year reflects ongoing work and what we can reasonably continue to sustain in the absence of further resources.

Areas of focus for our first ACP include:

• Enhancing engagement with industry partners
• Raising awareness and promoting access to relevant supports and resources
• Further enhancing our research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem